A new concept of dynamic orthosis for paraplegia: the weight bearing control (WBC) orthosis.
A new concept of device, termed the weight-bearing control (WBC) orthosis, has been designed with three major needs in mind; a rigid frame that supports the user's body weight, a special hip joint device that reciprocally propels each leg forward, a gas powered foot device that varies the sole thickness of the device for foot/floor clearance, and control system of the orthosis. A paraplegic (T7 level complete paraplegia, sensory evoked potential silent, response to electro-stimulation on the cortical area of the brain also silent) who has tested this WBC orthosis has been able to walk without fatigue at a high speed for a greater distance than before. In walking tests of this WBC orthosis, he achieved a maximum walking speed of 34.1 m/min for a distance of 10 metres. The walking distance reached 521 m with an average walking speed of 21.2 m/min without rest on one small tank of CO2 liquid gas, measuring 10 cm in length and 3 cm in diameter.
Yano
H
H
Institute of National Rehabilitation Center for the Disabled, Tokotrozawa, Saitama, Japan. yano@rehab.go.jp
Kaneko
S
S
Nakazawa
K
K
Yamamoto
S I
SI
Bettoh
A
A
D000328:Adult; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D004576:Electromyography; D004867:Equipment Design / Q000379:methods; D005684:Gait; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009989:Orthotic Devices; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010807:Physical Endurance; D016474:Weight-Bearing